Prishtina, 13.12.2018 – In the second and last day of his visit to Japan, Minister Lluka’s visited  Tokyo and met with senior state officials to ensure support for various developmental projects, including the Kosova e Re Power Plant project.

Accompanied by the Kosovo Ambassador in Japan, Leon Malazogu, Minister Lluka met with Mr. Yoshihiro Seki, State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, and Member of the Japanese Parliament, to discuss on the support of the Japanese Government for the largest project in Kosovo’s history – construction of Kosova e Re Power Plant. Minister Seki emphasized that the ministry he heads is carefully viewing the development of this project and promised full support, while understanding the situation Kosovo is in with coal as the sole energy source.

Moreover, the meeting was used to discuss on the forum of Kosovo and Japan businesses to be held in February in Kosovo, which is also supported by the Japanese Government.

On this occasion, Minister Lluka informed his counterpart on the benefits of Japanese companies’ operation in Kosovo, with the primary purpose of exporting products to the European market. Among other, Lluka underlined the inexpensive labor force, low income and profit taxes, the 0% dividend tax, and the suitable geographic position which offers easy access to the European Union market, which along with the trade agreement with the EU opens way to a market of 600 million inhabitants. The above, combined with the potential to use public land for up to 99 years, provide an extraordinary opportunity for all Japanese investors targeting the European market.

Today, the Kosovo delegation was also received in separate meeting by Tadashi Maeda, Governor and General Director of the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and Masafumi Nakada, President of the State Agency for Export Insurance and Investments, to discuss financial support for the Kosova e Re Power Plant project.

The purpose of the meeting was to inform these important institutions on Kosovo’s needs and challenges for its energy sector, and to seek support for other projects in the sphere of infrastructure.

Moreover, Lluka also sought financial support for projects in the field of waste management, mainly in waste recycling and electricity generation from waste, a project which would significantly mitigate the situation with waste, landfills and provide both a cleaner environment for the residents and a source of clean energy, with the potential of expanding capacities to smaller town district heating facilities. This project sparked the interest of Governor Maeda, and parties agreed that the project should be further developed.